Wire bending assembly



Dec. 2, 1969 J. E. JOYCE 3,481,177

' WIRE BENDING ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 29, 1967 INVENTOR.

.ziu/wgm ATTORNEYS MW 5% Z United States Patent Int. Cl. B21f 1/00 U.S.Cl. 72-404 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wire bending assemblyincluding first and second pairs of bending means adapted to receive aplurality of wires for bending the wires generally about horizontalaxes. Each bending means includes an anvil means and a bending headwhich is movable relative to the anvil means for engaging and bendingthe wire about the anvil means. The bending means are horizontallyspaced and disposed in line with one another with the second pair ofbending means being disposed between the first pair of bending means. Acontrol means is included to sequence the bending means for placing twooutboard bends in the wire with the first pair of bending means andthereafter placing two additional inboard bends in the wire with thesecond bending means to form an enclosed wire frame. The anvil means ofthe respective bending means are sequentially retracted to allow thewire to pass thereby so that when the wire is formed into the wire-likeframe the anvil means of the second pair of bending means are retractedto allow the wire frame to fall under the force of gravity. A pair ofspaced inclined rails are disposed between the second pair of bendingmeans so that the wire frame falls under the force of gravity onto therails and then slides down the rails to a stop means on the lower endwhere the wire frames may be conveniently removed.

The instant invention relates to a wire bending apparatus of the typefor bending a straight length of wire into a generally rectangularconfiguration having rounded corners. Such wire frames are utilized asborder wires in mattresses, box springs and similar spring assemblies.These wire frames are, therefore, frequently quite large. For example,such Wireframes may be in the order of six feet in length and over fourfeet in width.

Heretofore, such wire frames have been formed from straight lengths ofwire by bending the wire about vertical axes so that the finished wireframe is disposed in a substantially horizontal plane. Normally theassembly includes a large planar table over which the wire slides as thebends are placed therein. Such tables require a very large amount ofspace and it is necessary for the wire frames to be manually removedfrom the bending table.

Accordingly, it is an object and feature of this invention to provide anovel wire bending assembly for bending a straight length of wire into asubstantially rectangular wire frame and which occupies a minimum ofspace and eliminates the necessity for manually removing the wire framesfrom the bending apparatus.

Another object and feature of this invention is to provide a novel wirebending assembly including first and second pairs of horizontallydisposed bending means which sequentially place bends in one or morewires for forming substantially vertically disposed wire frames.

In correlation with the foregoing objects and features another objectand feature of this invention is to provide a wire bending assemblywhich is operable to allow the vertically disposed wire frames to droponto a receiving means under the force of gravity.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will bereadily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by referenceto the following detailed description when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view disclosing a preferredembodiment of the instant invention in the initial or pre-bendingposition;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary elevational View of the preferred embodimentshowing the first pair of bending means having formed spaced bends inthe wire;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the preferred embodimentshowing the second pair of bending means having formed the second pairof bends in the wire to form a wire frame; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially alongline 44 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals indicate like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, a preferred embodimentof the wire bending assembly of the instant invention is generally shownat 10.

The wire bending assembly includes a first pair of bending means 12 anda second pair of bending means 14 which are adapted to receive aplurality of Wires 16 for bending the individual wires 16 aboutgenerally horizontal axes, one of which is shown at 18 in FIGURE 4. Thebending means 12 and 14 are horizontally spaced and disposed in linewith one another and the second pair of bending means 14 are disposedbetween the first pair of bending means 12. There is also includedcontrol means generally shown at 18 to sequence the bending means 12 and14 for placing two bends in the wire 16 with the first pair of bendingmeans 12 as illustrated in FIGURE 2 and thereafter placing twoadditional bends in the wire with the second pair of bending means 14 toform an enclosed wire frame as illustrated in FIGURE 3.

A pair of V-shaped notches 20 are placed in the wires 16 before thewires 16 are disposed in the assembly as illustrated in FIGURE. 1. Asillustrated in FIGURE 3, when the wires 16 are bent into substantiallyrectangular frames, the V-shaped notches 20 engage one another. Afterthe wires 16 have been formed into a frame as illustrated in FIGURE 3, aclip or the like is disposed about the overlapping ends adjacent or onthe V-shaped notches 20 and the V-shaped notches 20 prevent relativesliding movement between the overlapping ends.

The assembly includes a support means comprising the plate 22. Each ofthe bending means 12 and 14 comprises an anvil means 24 and a bendinghead 26 which is movable relative to the anvil means for engaging andbending the wire 16 about the anvil means 24. Each bending head 26 issupported on a shaft 28 which extends through the plate 22. Each shaft28 is rotatably mounted in a bearing 30.

Each anvil means 24, as illustrated, comprises a cylindrical memberslidably supported in a sleeve 32. There is included first and secondactuation means comprising the hydraulic cylinders 34 (only one shown)for retracting the anvil means 24 of the first pair of bending means 12to allow the wire 16 to move therepast after the first bends are placedin the wires 16 as illustrated in FIG- URE 2. In clarification, ahydraulic cylinder 34 is associated with each anvil means 24, the secondpair of hydraulic cylinders 34 comprise second actuation means forretracting the anvil means 24 of the second pair of bending means 14 toallow the wire frame 16 to drop therefrom under the force of gravity.The control means also includes first means comprising a pair of racks36 and pinions 38 (only one shown) for moving the bending heads 26 ofthe first pair of bending means 12 to bend the wire about the anvilmeans 24 thereof as illustrated in FIGURE 2. Again in clarification, arack 36 and pinion 38 is associated with each bending head 26. Thecontrol means further includes a second means comprising the second pairof racks and pinions 36 and 38 for moving the bending heads 26 of thesecond pair of bending means 14 to bend the wire about the anvil means24 thereof as illustrated in FIGURE 3.

There is also included a receiving means comprising the spaced parallelrails 40 disposed below the second pair of bending means 14 for engagingand supporting the wire frames after they drop from the second pair ofbending means 14. The rails 40 are attached to the plate 22 and providesurfaces which are inclined downwardly away from a position below thesecond pair of bending means 14. There is also included stop meanscomprising the upwardly extending member 42 disposed at the lower endsof the rails 40.

In operation, one or more wires 16 are disposed upon the anvil means 24of the respective bending means 12 and 14 as illustrated in FIGURE 1.The racks 36 are then moved as by an electric motor or a hydrauliccylinder to rotate the pinion 38 which in turn rotates the shaft 28 torotate the bending heads 26 of the bending means 12 to place outboardbends in the wires 16 as illustrated in FIGURE 2. Thereafter, two of thehydraulic cylinders 34 are actuated to retract the anvil means 24 of thebending means 12. Thereafter the second pair of racks 36 are moved torotate the bending heads 26 of the second pair of bending means 14. Asthe Wires 16 are bent about the anvil means 24 of the second pair ofbending means 14 the wires 16 move past the retracted anvil means 24 ofthe outboard or first pair of bending means 12. After the wires 16 havebeen bent into a substantially rectangular frame as illustrated inFIGURE 3, the second pair of hydraulic cylinders 34 are actuated toretract the anvil means 24 of the second pair of bending means 14. Oncethe anvil means 24 of the second pair of bending means 14 have beenretracted the Wire frames drop under the force of gravity and onto therails 40. After the frames have fallen onto the rails 40 they slidedownwardly to the position illustrated in FIGURE 4 against the stops 42Where they may be easily removed.

The instant invention, therefore, provides a novel method of forming aplurality of substantially rectangular wire frames from a plurality ofstraight lengths of wire by first bending the wire about two spacedhorizontal axes, which as illustrated are the axes of the anvil means 24of the first pair of bending means 12, and thereafter bending the wireabout two spaced substantially horizontal axes which are disposed inline with and between the first mentioned axes to form a substantiallyrectangular wire frame which is disposed in a substantially verticalplane, the latter two axes being the axes of anvil means 24 of thesecond pair of bending means 14 as illustrated. In addition, the novelmethod includes the step of dropping the wire frame onto an inclinedsurface, or allowing the wire frame to drop under the force of gravityand onto an inclined surface.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner and it is tobe understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to bein the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that Within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Apparatus for forming bent wire articles comprising: support means,at least one pair of horizontally spaced anvils mounted on the supportmeans and normally extending horizontally therefrom to support a lengthof wire to be bent, a pair of bending heads movably mounted on thesupport means and selectively engageable with the anvils to bend theWire around the anvils, actuation means for simultaneously displacingthe anvils relative to the support means to drop the bent wire, andreceiving means mounted on the support means between and verticallybeneath the anvils to catch the wire dropped from the anvils, thereceiving means including at least one rail angled downwardly andoutwardly from the support means and a stop adjacent the terminal end ofthe rail whereby a plurality of the bent wire articles may be dropped tothe receiving means and stored for later removal.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the receiving means includestwo parallel and horizontally spaced rails angled downwardly andoutwardly from the support means and having upturned terminal ends toform stops thereby to hold a plurality of the bent wires thereon forlater removal.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the bending heads ispivotally mounted on the support means for rotation about a horizontalaxis, and control means for rotating the bending heads into engagementwith the anvils.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the control means includes,for each of the bending heads, a shaft disposed along said horizontalaxis and having one end connected to the bending head, a pinion mountedon the other end of the shaft, and means engaging the pinion forimparting rotational motion thereto.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the actuation means includes,for each of the anvils, a sleeve mounted on the support means oppositethe bending heads and a hydraulic cylinder for retracting the anvil intothe sleeve.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,869,591 1/1959 Larkin 72-404RONALD D. GREFE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 72-426

